For Ivy climbs the crumbling hall To decorate decay
by MatahariMaha
Summary: „We have to leave Ivy. Now", gently Dom tries to get the young woman up. Ivy is sitting against a wall, crying, her expensive looking pantsuit is sullied with blood. - A Fast and the Furious Story that takes place in an altered universe. Lead Characters are Dom, Mia, Brian and an own character.
1. Chapter 1

„We have to leave Ivy. Now", gently Dom tries to get the young woman up. Ivy is sitting against a wall, crying, her expensive looking pantsuit is sullied with blood.  
"I know this is hard Ivy, but if someone finds us here, we're done. Even the best lawyer in the world couldn't help us. Please Ivanka, we need to get going."  
Ivy raises her eyes, blurred with unshed tears, and struggles to her feat, "Let's go then."  
Without looking at her surroundings, the dirty warehouse, the dead bodies lying on the floor, the weapons scattered around, she hurries outside with Dom right behind her. Dominic's Car, his black Dodge Charger, is parking right outside the door. Within minutes Dom and Ivy are driving to the highway, the road dark and clear ahead of them.

"I'm sorry Dom."  
Dom stays quiet for a while, driving fast but precise, and then he smiles sadly, "It's my fault too. I guess we were just never meant to stay on the legal side of the law."  
Ivy shakes her head violently, "No Dom. This is not that kind of thing you do. You drive illegal car races, you do illegal tuning in the shop, and you hustle low key shit. But this, this is not you, this is me. I just slaughtered a room full of people Dom, you should have never followed me. I have to be on my own Dom, the police have my prints now. They don't have yours."  
"You are family Ivy. I won't ever let you run alone. And besides, they will connect me somehow to all this and I die before I go back to prison, you know that."  
"I'm not just running. The L.A. cell may be dead now, but there are more. I have to get to them. They killed her, I can't let them get away with that."  
"Silvie is family. She is like a sister to me. I'm going with you."  
Ivy puts her hand on Dom's big one and squeezes thankful, "Then we have to get out of L.A. as fast as possible. And we have to find a way to contact Mia. I know she is too smart to do something stupid or dangerous, but she shouldn't worry about us."

They drive for three days straight, before they dare to check into a motel and contact Mia. Dom calles a neighbor with the old phone next to the empty reception and gets him to call Mia over, so he can bring her up to date.  
"The police was here, they believe that I had nothing to do with anything, but they are looking for you. And the team could get away, they wanted to follow you but I managed to convince them to leave."  
"Good, they have nothing to do with this. And we're so sorry, that you have to deal with everything alone."  
"I understand Dom. Of course I understand."  
"What are you planning to do now? Since we're not coming back."  
"I'm selling the house, the garage and then I'm leaving town and move to New York. I will find a way to transfer the money from the house and the shop to you."  
"You need that money Mia. Ivy and I, we will get funds soon."  
"I can transfer to Brown and keep my scholarship. That means my studies and the dorm room is payed for. And I have enough money for my daily expenses; you always made sure to put money on the bank for me. I am fine Dom. You and Ivy are not."  
"Thank you little sister. Just, stay safe and leave L.A. as soon as you possibly can."  
"Silvies funeral is tomorrow. Then I will get on the road. Tell Ivy that I love her and that I'm very sorry for her loss. I will keep Silvies Wedding Ring safe for her, tell her that. And I tried to honor her and Silvies wisher, regarding the funeral. Her grave will be on the catholic cemetery with father Thomas."  
"I will Mia. I try to talk to you soon. I have a buddy in New York. Ask Bobby to give you Jeremy Rowell's address. I will contact you over him."  
"I love you Dom", "I Love you too Mia."

"I just talked to Mia."  
Ivy is sitting on the small bed, with her laptop in front of her, "Is she okay?"  
"She is. She is selling everything and is moving to New York, she can continue her studies there. Should you be on the internet right now? Can't the police find us that way?"  
Ivy grins, "There is no way for them to find us. I may not study computer science like your sister, but I still am damn good with them. We are safe."  
"Silvie's funeral is Tomorrow Ivy. Mia arranged a catholic ceremony with father Thomas, she would have liked that."  
"Yes she would." Ivy smiles sadly and rubes the golden ring on her finger.  
"I'm sorry we can't be at home to say goodbye." Dom puts his arm around Ivy and kisses her forehead, "I will find you a church tomorrow morning, we can light a candle for her."  
Ivy shuts down her laptop and puts it away, "Thank you Dom, I think I'm going to sleep now. We have to get going soon enough."  
Silently he tucks Ivy in and without disturbing her Dom gets bed ready in the small bathroom. But when he emerges from the bathroom Ivy still lies awake in her bed.  
"Stay with me?" her small voice makes Dom's eyes sting, no way he would let her alone in a night like this. The first night sleep in a real bed since this whole ordeal has started. He squeezes next to Ivy into the way to small bed and pulls her close. He pretends that he doesn't notice her silent tears and tries to find sleep.

They were on the road for a few hours, before Dom pulls into the parking space of a small church in a rundown neighborhood. In silence they light two candles and Ivy lets Dom say the prayer.  
"Dear Father in heaven. We are here today to pray for Silvana Battaglio, whose funeral takes place today. In Silvie we not only lost an extraordinary person, who always was the light of the house, but also a family member. A wife, a sister and a best friend. We love her dearly and miss her painfully, but we take comfort in the thought that she can return home to you, Father. Amen."  
"Amen", Ivy's voice is clogged with tears, her fingers tightly clench around her rosary.  
"I give you a moment for yourself, Baby girl. I wait in the car for you."  
Dom leaves the church and Ivy is alone. She closes her eyes and smells the familiar smell of candles, smoke, wood and frankincense. It calms her.  
Ivy didn't grow up religious, the people who raised her only believed in the Russian government, their president and the ability to fight. And then she met Silvana. Ivy didn't believe in angels at that time, but Silvie was her angel. Silvie grew up as an orphan in a catholic coven in Italy ruled by the mafia. When she met Ivy, Silvie was working as a high precision driver for the mafia. Silvie's love for fast cars and god were the only things from her youth she was thankful for.  
Ivy looks around the church and finds the Statue of Mary in a corner and kneels in front of it. She prays the rosary just like Silvana, her beloved wife, taught her.

"Ready to go?"  
"Yes", Ivy nods, "I'm ready. Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

Dom and Ivy spent the next two month on the roads and hunting people involved in the murder of Silvana Battaglio. They had a rough time, sleeping wherever and whenever they could, eating whatever they found. The only source of income were winnings from street races, but they only dared to race every other week, so money was low. Ivy and Dom also aren't used to spend so much time together. Even though they love each other to pieces, Dom always was Silvie's brother and Ivy was Silvie's wife, Silvie is the missing piece between them. Despite everything this life fits Ivy like a glove, that's what she was trained for.  
Mia helped them from the moment she got settled in New York. Dominic of course was against it, his sister finally got away from him and had a chance to have a normal life. Even a successful one, with her working towards a Master's Degree in Computer Sciences and Statistics at an Ivy League University. But Mia was born a Toretto, nothing Dom said changed her mind from helping them. Mia tracked down their targets, she shut down entire streets and building so that her brother and Ivy could strike.  
But the bodies Dom and Ivy leave behind wherever they go soon caught the attention of the Feds, who are slowly catching up on them.

"Are you safe? Do you have enough money?" like in every phone call, Mia asks those two questions first.  
Ivy grins at that, even though Mia can't see her through the safe phone they were using currently "Yes Mia. We are as safe as we can be and Dom just won a race yesterday, our wallets are well stocked again."  
"Good. Where is Dom?"  
"He is out. Some alone time every now and then does us good."  
"But that's convenient ; there are a few things I need to talk to you about." Mia says.  
"I'm listening."  
"MIT contacted me Ivy, they are looking for you. You will lose you PhD Spot if they won't find you."  
"It's not like I can go back Mia. Tell them I had to leave, family emergency. They should give my spot to someone else."  
"Are you sure?" asks Mia concerned "You worked so hard to get there."  
"I was lucky I could finish my Masters without anyone sniffing me and Silvie out. You don't just quit the Russian mob or the Mafia. We both knew that, we just tried to do what we loved before our past caught up with us, now it has. Besides I may love mathematics, but I was never meant to be a scholar."  
"You're right, I shouldn't try to change your mind about it."  
Ivy laughs "It's fine Mia. I made my peace about it. So, what else is going on?"  
"About your next move. We're getting closer to the head. The Mafia was always good at hiding its people, but they are nervous now. That means they are now even less easy to track down."  
"Where do you want us to go?"  
"Miami."  
"That's more than a four days trip from where we are right now."  
"I know. But there is someone there who can help you. I trust him and Dom will trust him to, eventually."  
Ivy groans, "We don't need any more people dragged into this. Especially not people Dom has ugly history with."  
"It's not that ugly, he will come around. And I already got in contact with my friend, he is waiting for you."  
"Good. We will get on the road then, text me where to go as soon as we're in Miami."  
"I really think this is the right thing to do, Ivy. Just trust me."


	3. Chapter 3

"I don't understand it. We are losing four days, while having the FBI and the Mafia on our tail, just because Mia wants us to meet someone."  
"Someone who can help us, Dom. Now sleep, we will make it in less than four days, when we're driving through the night." Ivy is driving fast and steadily, she had the chance to rest for a few hours. Now it's Dom's turn and he sitting in the passenger seat, which he doesn't like at all. It makes him fidgety.  
They manage to reach the outskirts of Miami within two and a half day. Dom is filling up their gas at the station and buying some food, while Ivy uses their new safe phone to reach Mia. They want to find that friend as soon as possible, since Mia won't tell them anything about their target before they were all together.  
"You got a hold on her?" Dom comes out of the shop and gives Ivy a water bottle and turkey sandwich.  
Ivy opens the plastic around her food immediately "Yes, I have an address of a garage. Known territory then."  
"Is there a name? Or are we just gonna walk in there?"  
"Mia was a bit cryptic. She told you would know."  
"That's it?" Dom looks a bit annoyed, he doesn't like surprises. And he doesn't like people telling him what to do, but they don't really have a choice. Mia proved to be very useful, without her looking over them from afar, there would have been a lot more running, hiding and long stake-outs.  
"I don't like this." It's the first time Dom expresses his discontent with their situation. They are sitting in the car again, using detours, trying to evade CCTV's.  
"What? Mia being grown up?"  
"You and Mia being grown ups."  
Ivy has to laugh at that, "Yeah Dom. We're the same age in case you forgot."  
"I know. But you were always just Ivy. The smart, responsible Ivy whose world revolves around equations and numbers and who is always carrying lots of heavy books around. And when you and Mia met, you just clicked and then you started talking about shit that went way over my head. I was, still am, so proud of you two, how smart you are and how you two kicked ass in Stanford. I guess I just put you in the same box where my sister is. While Silvie basically was me. In female and with long blond hair."  
"But you do know who I am right? How I grew up?"  
Dom shrugs "You know your way around a car and you can handle a gun, that was always enough for me. I trusted you from day one Ivy, I never needed to know where you're from."  
"Oh my god, you really don't know anything." Ivy is honestly surprised, she didn't realized how she apparently never really talked about her past. "I'm from Poland originally, I got kidnaped when I was four, human traffickers. They sold me to a criminal organization, linked to the Russian regime. They had lots of little boys and girls like me. I don't know how much you know about the Russians, but they really like their spies and their assassins. And kids are the easiest to train. I made my first kill when I was 12. From then on I was sent out on jobs, that's how I met Silvie. On a job, I was supposed to kill the guys she was doing a business with. We ran away together, came to LA. I took my SATs got into Stanford. Silvie started working at Jimmys Racing Supplies and met you."  
Dom is silence for a few minutes "That's crazy Ivy, like really messed up."  
"Yeah, I guess that's why I love mathematics and physics so much. The rules and the law are always the same, that gave me structure. And the Russians encouraged learning and studying anyways."  
"That's the reason you speak practically any language?"  
"We had to be able to fit in in any country or situation they threw us in."  
"I'm gonna repeat myself but that's so messed up it's crazy. Are you okay? I mean, are you feeling fine? "  
Ivy looks up, a stunned expression on her face "Are you asking if I'm sane?"  
"No! I mean, maybe. Listen, you grew as this total badass assassin person, what must have fucked you up a great deal. Now you're wife got murdered and you are driving around the country killing people who might have had a connection with the people who killed Silvie. Yes Ivy, I think this could potentially mess with you sanity."  
"I'm fine Dom, I swear. I killed people before; I know how to deal with that. I know how to stay sane."  
"Just checking."

It took them two hours to reach the garage, Mia sent them to. It looks like that sort if place Dom and Silvie would love. The cars lining outside look exquisite, the facilities new and the clear space next to the building seems perfect to race. And then a man exits the building. Dom turns the car in seconds and speeds up.  
Ivy turns around and sees how the guy jumps in a car a starts to follow them. "Who are we running away from?"  
"No one."  
"Then, who sits in that shiny new toy car on our tail."  
"No one,"  
"Cool.", Ivy watches how Dom gets even faster and the guy behind them as well, "He is catching up."  
"Don't worry. He's gonna kick in the Nos way to early, he's gonna run out of it way the soon. Then he's gonna try some stupid ass move. And then he's probably gonna blow up that piece of shit he calls a car." Dom is grinding his teeth; Ivy hasn't seen him that angry in a long time.  
But Ivy is fearless and stupid enough to make a comment, "He doesn't seem like no one though."  
Dom boxes the steering wheel, "I don't know him. I don't know rats!"  
Nothing Dom predicted earlier happened. The guy knows exactly what to do; and when to do it. It took him less than five minutes to push Dom down the street and forces him to stop.  
"You little piece of shit." Roars Dom when he jumps out of the car and throws the blonde to a wall.  
The guy moans and tries to straighten himself up "I told Mia this was a stupid idea."  
"You're Mia's friend?"  
"Friend might be a stretch. Hi, I'm Brian O'Connor."  
"Ivy, nice to meet you."  
"Don't bother talking to him. He's a Cop and we're leaving." Grunts Dom and puts his big hand protectively on Ivy's shoulder.  
"Not a Cop anymore. I'm a Fed now. Although I'm a driver for Carter Verone at the moment. That's why I can't show you my fancy badge."  
That name sparks something in Ivy's memory, Mia mentioned him in one of their phone calls, "Verone? The drug lord?"  
"That might be the one." Briand sounds as if it is his greatest joy to run drugs for a big time criminal.  
"It was nice chatting with you, but we are going now. Ivy, let's go." Dom puts more pressure into his grip.  
"Wait, Dom. Mia told us to trust her. We should. We should talk to Brian." Ivy takes Dom's hand from her shoulder and looks him in the eye, "There is no reason to not listen to her this time."  
Ivy can see the battle behind Dom's eye and then ne nods.  
"It's not really safe here. Follow me." Brian smiles at Ivy and then goes to wait in his car.  
He leads Ivy and Dom to a small boathouse he apparently lives in.  
Dom doesn't bother with pleasantries or small talk when he steps on the boat. He refuses the can of beer Brian offers him and dives right in "Say what you have to stay."  
"I received a packet two weeks ago, in the garage. Just parts for the car I was working on, but there was a burner phone hidden between the stuff I'd ordered. Three days later I received a text on that phone with a number. Stupid as I am, I called it. And I had Mia on the line. She told me an insane story about you hunting some Mafia guys and the FBI hunting you. She asked me to help."  
"Working for a drug lord and the FBI at the same time is not enough for you?" asks Dom with a sneer.  
Brian just winks an eye at Dom and says "Anyway. Mia asked me, if I would be willing to work with you. She is worried. Kinda understand her, if everything she told me is true. You're pulling some crazy shit."  
"How should we possibly trust you?"  
"Mia trusts me. Trust her."  
"Why? You lied to me once."  
"Lied to you? I was doing my job, a job I believed in."  
"I had to leave Detroit, my parents house, because of you."  
"You had to leave Detroit because you heisted trucks and the police was on to you. I was supposed to arrest you, instead I helped you get away. Your sister got away, the team got away. I screwed up my career for you, my reputation." Dom finally got Brian riled up, who got louder with every word.  
"Please.", Dom scoffed "Your reputation? You were a police officer who enjoyed being a criminal. You tried to be the good guy playing a bad guy. But maybe it was the other way around."  
"I only lied because it was my job. I never wanted to hurt you, any of you. You trusted me once, do it again."  
"You're FBI."  
"Because it was the only choice I had. I'm doing undercover shit for them, crazy, longterm, shit no one else wants to do. I'm not lying when I'm saying I screw up my career for you."  
Before this whole discussion goes any longer, Ivy steps in, "I get that you have history. And I hope you understand that Dom and I have to talk about this. About you helping us. How can we get in touch with you?"  
"I'm here in the mornings and at night. You can find me at the shop during the day."


	4. Chapter 4

"What the fuck happened between you and that Brian guy?"  
"Before we came to LA, we were living in Detroit, you already know that. Basically doing the same shit as we did in LA, had a car shop, drove races and stuff. The team I had at that time and me were doing pretty violent truck heists. Police didn't know it was us, they only knew that it had to be someone from the racing scene, so O'Connor was sent in undercover. I took him in, into my family, my home and my shop. And then it turned out that he was a cop all along."  
"But it sounded like he helped you in the end. He let you go."  
"He owed me a ten second car."  
Ivy raises her eyebrows critically, "He had to arrest you, and he gave you a car instead. A fast car. And you got away with it. You didn't go to prison and could build yourself a new life in LA, because of that car. How stupid are you? That guy saved you. And Mia trusts him apparently."  
"Of course she does." Scoffs Dom.  
"They had a thing?"  
"No. But she adored him, like he was a kitten she had to feed. He was scrawny kid when we met him, no physical strength, no survival instinct but a freaking big mouth. No idea how he survived the academy."  
"Well that kitten grew up and learned how to hold his own in the meantime. Maybe he really can help us. And you need a team Dom. I'm fine alone, I learned how to work alone. You didn't."  
"I have to think about it. I'll go and get food." Dom kisses Ivy on her hair and leaves her alone in their motel room.

"Where the fuck did you send us Mia?"  
"You found him then?"  
"We did. And Dom freaked out. I know Dom has his issues about loyalty and stuff. But he usually is capable of appreciating it when someone puts his head on the line for him."  
"Brian is different."  
"Was he Dom's first Silvie?"  
"More like your Silvie."  
"No way!" Ivy didn't see that coming. "He never showed any interest in guys. And not in girls either, when I'm thinking about it. I just assumed he is picky."  
"He is not gay. Brian's just it. Of course he never told anyone, but we knew. We knew they were screwing, and we knew he wasn't just someone who warms the bed. Dom fell for him, hard."  
"What should I do? I'm not sure if Dom wants to talk to me about him. I mean we got a lot closer since we are on the road together, but I'm not Silvie, or you."  
"But you're the only family around. I know that you two never really spent time together before all this. But Dom trusts you, he loves you. He needs you Ivy. And you two need Brian."  
"I'm gonna handle this."

"Here." Dom throws a green Smoothie and some crackers on Ivys bed "Eat."  
She opens the bottle and drinks out of it greedily, happy about the vitamins. "Are you feeling better?"  
"No. Not at all."  
Surprised about Dom's honesty Ivy watches him letting himself fall next to her on the tiny bed.  
"You have you own bed."  
"I know, Mrs. stating the obvious."  
Ivy nibbles on the salty crackers and lets Dom lie in peace for a few moments before she carefully confronts him with what happened this afternoon.  
"Talked to Ivy when you were out."  
"I figured. She told you all the juicy details I guess?"  
"Just that he is important to you."  
"Was."  
Ivy rolls her eyes, this won't be easy "I don't know what exactly happened between you two. But whatever there was, Brian thought it was worth enough to throw away his career and apparently his values. And Mia really stressed how she wants us to work together. She trusts him, therefore I am willing to trust him."  
Dom stays silent, but he seems to think about it.  
"Let me talk to him tomorrow morning, alone. I'm not gonna agree to anything, I'm just gonna talk to him and then you and I decide what we are going to do next."  
Dom nods at that and stays in bed with Ivy. She doesn't comment on the lack of space, she just lets him fall asleep next to her, while she catches up on the latest economist issue.


	5. Chapter 5

"Good morning, I hope you like coffee?" Ivy barges into Brian's houseboat and opens the door to the little cabin. There she finds Brian still lying in bed "The fuck are you doing here? It is still night."  
"I don't know when you start working, and I didn't want to miss you. Besides, the coffee shop down the street is already open, a clear sign that it is morning."  
"Shut up." Brian apparently isn't a morning person, he hoists himself up and snatches the coffee out of Ivy's fingers. He takes a big gulp, sighs and then looks up suspiciously, "How do you know how I like my coffee?"  
"You just look like a sweet caramel guy, so I got you on of those." Ivy tries to hide her laugh, "Just kidding. The coffee shop guy gave that to me, when he saw that I parked my car in front of your boat."  
Brian doesn't say anything to that and just keeps sipping. It takes him about five minutes to look remotely awake .  
"Give me a reason to trust you Brian." That's the only thing Ivy needs.  
"I owe it to Mia. She is important to me."  
"Give me a real reason."  
"Dom. I gave up everything for him. I would do it again."  
Ivy smiles and gets up, "You did good. Go to work Kitten."

"I want him."  
"What?" Dom looks up from the engine hood "We need to find a shop by the way. There are some things I need to replace. We still have enough money."  
"You'll find what you need where Brian works."  
"No."  
"Come on Dom. I like him, Mia likes him and you are gonna learn to tolerated him."  
"How do you trust him? How does Mia trust him?"  
"He is honest to us and we listen to him."  
Dom focuses his eyes on Ivy, "What do you mean by that?"  
"Just that I had a good chat with him and that I have a good feeling about him."  
"He acts up, I kill him. He lies, I kill him."  
"He is going to behave. Like the good little kitten he is.", Ivy just rolls her eyes at Dom. He can huff and puff as much as he likes, she knows that he is at least a little bit happy about meeting Brian "We will go and see him this afternoon. I'm gonna go the market till then, I have to get new clothes. Do you want me to get something for you?"  
"Couple of shirts, mine are getting ratty."  
"Will do. See you later, I will bring lunch." Ivy kisses Dom on his bald head and lets him get back to fiddle on the car.  
Ivy just has to walk a few blocks over to find a busy streets, where she can find those wifebeaters Dom likes and some shirts for her. With her full bags she walks by a hair salon and stops. In the glass Ivy can see herself and her pretty long brown hair. The Russian always kept her hair short, easier to put wigs on if needed. She let it grow when she came to LA and started university. By the time she got married her hair was long and wavy and she kept it that way. A student doesn't need a practical hair style. But now everything is different. Spontaneously Ivy steps in to the hair salon and one of the latina girls welcomes her with a big smile "Hi, I'm Maria. What can I do for you today?"  
"I'm quite bored of my hair. I'd like to cut it short."  
"A pixie would be cute, you certainly have the cheek bones for that."  
Ivy laughs "Thank you. But if you think that would suit me, then go on. Be creative."  
"Sit down Sweetheart, let me do my magic."  
And Maria did. It took her an hour to chop most of Ivy's hair off. But then Ivy looked into the mirror and saw a memory of her past. The young, twenty year old Ivy. The Ivy that just met the love of her live. The Ivy that was so excited that she got the acceptance letter to Stanford. But that was six years ago and lot changed. Still, her head feels lighter and so does her heart.

"I brought Burritos. Let's say grace, we haven't done that in a while." Ivy sets the food on the small table in their motel room and waits for Dom to sit down next to her.  
He takes Ivy's hand into his and smiles "You wanna do the honors?"  
"I will.", Ivy squeezes his hand, happy that he is in a better mood, "Thank you Lord for this food and the love and the family we always carry in our heart. Amen."  
„Amen", Dom digs into his food and then asks "Why did you cut you hear?"  
Ivy shrugs "I'm not sure. I felt like it and this is the hair I had when Silvie met me he first time. And it's easier to maintain. Don't you like it?"  
"I like it. It suits you, you look badass."  
"You make me blush. Are you ready to leave for the garage when we're done eating?"  
"I don't care when we gonna get your new pet. But sure, after lunch works for me."  
Ivy rolls her eyes at that, he can be so dramatic, it is ridiculous.


	6. Chapter 6

"Please behave Dom. We don't wanna drag unnecessary attention towards us, because you got into a fight with Brian."  
"I'm not a child Ivy. I'm perfectly capable of restraining myself, thank you very much." Dom shoots a nasty glare at her and exits the car. Ivy hurries after him into the shop, which is quite busy.  
"Hi, how can I help you?" the asian girl behind the counter is flipping through a magazine and doesn't really look like she wants to help.  
"We are looking for Brian? We're friends." Ivy smiles at her.  
"He's in the back, you can go through there. And no funny business, I'm armed."  
"We're not looking for any trouble, promise." Ivy tries being nice again, but only earns a dismissive look.  
Dom snickers quietly when he and Ivy cross the store to the working space "That one does not like you at all."  
"I was totally nice though, wasn't I?"  
"You were a ray of sunshine."  
In the back they found several cars, every one of them in a different state of completion. Brian is working behind an open hood, next to him an Afro-American guy is standing with a tablet in his hands. They are both so engrossed in their work, that Ivy has to greet them three times to get a response.  
"I didn't expect you so soon." but Brian doesn't seem bothered about their visit; he closes the hood and wipes his hands somewhat clean on the dirty cloth hanging from his waistband, "Those are old friends of mine, Ivy and Dominic. This is Tej, he owns and runs this garage.  
Dom growls at being introduced as a friend, but stays silent otherwise. He doesn't want to make a scene, and he is busy enough trying to avoid looking at Brian. Who looks really good in his tight shirt and the working trousers.  
"The charger needs some love, so we thought, why not come today." grins Ivy and waves vaguely in the directions where they parked the car.  
"I can look at it, while you guys catch up." Offers Tej, always happy to get his hands on a new car.  
"It's just outside, and we don't need much. I'm gonna show you. My friend Brian and I can catch up later."  
Ivy rolls her eyes, she seems to do that a lot lately, and waits till Dom and Tej are out of earshot "He will get his shit together, don't worry. But he's fine working with you, as long as you don't pull something stupid. Then he might kill you."  
"I expect as much."  
"Good. We need to call Mia, as soon as possible. We already wasted enough time being here, and this really is not safe."  
"I'm not being monitored, not anymore. You should be fine. But it's better to get a move on. I have to finish up here, and I guess Dom's busy with the Charger for a while. Why don't you get yourself a beer from the fridge over there, while you wait?"  
"Cool thanks. Maybe I will keep your front desk girl company."  
Brian laughs at that, "Suki? Wouldn't recommend it. She's really cool when you get to know her better, but she has an attitude problem."  
"Don't we all have that problem?" Ivy spots an old couch in the same corner as the fridge is. Judging from the empty beer cans, water bottles and the leftover pizza, that's the spot where the team eats and chills after work "I'll just be over there then, if that's ok."  
"Course. There are also some magazines lying around in case you're bored." Brian sounds distracted; he already shifted his attention back to the car. Ivy sees the genuine enthusiasm for cars in him, Brian reminds her of Silvie. Maybe the same way Sivie reminded Dom of Brian.

Like Brian said there is reading material under the table by the couch. A local newspaper, some racing magazines, but also a few serious mechanical journals. Ivy skims through the journals before deciding on an article.  
"Some heavy reading you're doing there."  
Ivy looks up and sees Tej standing next to the couch with a beer on his own.  
"You guys are done with the Charger?"  
Tej shakes his head, "No, but your friend doesn't really like stranger working on his car, so I showed him the material he can use and left him alone."  
"Yeah, he is a bit protective over that car."  
"You don't say." laughs Tej and sits down next to Ivy "So tell me. Have I finally found someone who appreciates the finer arts of mechanics? And not just 'how much NOS can I use without blowing up myself and the car?'"  
"Well, I studied pure mathematics and applied physics. So yeah, I enjoy mechanics."  
"Huh. Someone with a proper college education, haven't had that in here in here for a long time."  
"That's what Dom said when he met me. Even though I just started my first semester back then."  
"You knew him and Brian for a long time then?"  
"Brian used to work for Dom. And so did my wife. I wasn't around much, during the week I was usually in Stanford, sometimes even over the weekends. But you know how family works."  
"You don't need to be there to be close." nods Tej and then asks curiously "What did you focus on in your studies?"  
With that they started a discussion that went deep into the technical aspects of car mechanics. Ivy enjoys it immensely and feels a bit disappointed when Brian puts away his working tools.  
Dom already waits for them outside, leaning against his car. Ivy almost feels Brian swooning, even though the blonde keeps himself firmly in check. "We're done here. Let's go back to the Motel and call Mia."  
"Follow us." Dom gets behind the wheel and waits for Ivy "You talked to him?"  
"Yes. And he promised to be a good pet and not to annoy you."  
Dom stays silent at that and drives them the fastest way back to the motel.


	7. Chapter 7

Back on their motel room, Ivy makes sure the security on her laptop is still going strong and video-calls Mia. Mia quickly picks up and her smile shines into the camera.  
"It's good to see all of you in one place." she says happily "Brian, last chance to get out. You sure about this?"  
"Positive." Brian nods.  
"Good, because we need you for our next move. The Mafia plans a Deal with Verone in three weeks. You need to get Dom in as a Driver."  
Ivy frowns at that, "Didn't you say the Mafia ceased its activities in the US, because they're scared?"  
"They are not scared enough to give up on a deal worth more than 10 million US Dollar."  
"I can free one spot on the team, but not two." Says Brian "The FBI monitors my moves, we don't need them to look any closer."  
"You don't have to. Just get Dom in. Ivy will trace you and be there."  
"Verone checks the drivers and the cars for tracing devises, even myself. They can find anything."  
Mia smirks and says "We got that covered. Ivy's first project when she started her PhD was to develop a new tracer. Smarter, smaller, more efficient. Luckily she brought the prototype home to show me, before we all had to leave. I did some, not so legal, coding, and now we have an untraceable tracing device."  
"I completely forgot about TDI53." Says Ivy, looking worried "You know it still had some bugs?"  
"I fixed it. Well a friend of mine fixed it, needed an engineer for some alterations."  
"What friend? Is he any good? That thing is so small, one mistake and t's going to crack as soon as the tracing program attempts to get in contact."  
Mia rolls her eyes "What kind of an idiot do you think I am? We simulated the alternations about 300 times, but we got it right. And my friends is more than capable, he is a Post-Doc fellow in mechanical engineering."  
"Can you send me those simulations? What program did you use?" Ivy perks up "How did you manage the long-distance issue?"  
Mia just wanted to start an explanation when Dom interrupts her "Girls, no need to nerd out right now. We only need to know if that thing works? Is it safe?"  
"Yes." Mia sounds very sure.  
"Good, when can you send this thing here?"  
"It will take a week to get it to you. Jeremy, Dom's friend from New York, will send it to a friend in Tampa. He is a mechanic, he will some parts to Brian's garage and hides the device in the shipment."  
"I need that time to get Dom in anyway. Maybe even more." says Brian.  
"Do you have a plan?" asks Mia curious.  
"First, free a spot. I'm gonna plant some drugs in one of the driver's apartment and then tip the DEA of. Verone doesn't have backup drivers, he always sets up a race if he needs more or a new driver. I'm going suggest Dom. Dom's gonna win that race, of course, he gets the spot"  
Mia hums and nods "Ok, that will work. But for god's sake, don't break into that guy's home. We can't afford you being exposed just yet. Let Ivy do it." Commands Mia.  
Ivy nods "No problem. We need to get the drugs though. Dom and I should go to a race, he can introduce himself to the scene and I can find a dealer."  
"Almost every drug deal goes through Verone around her." objects Brian "But Tej might know someone. That guy has his ears and eyes everywhere."  
"Is Tej safe?" even though Ivy had a great chat with him, she is not willing to trust him.  
Brian shrugs "He won't ask questions and he knows when to shut his mouth, if you mean that."  
"That's good enough for me." Says Dom.  
"I'll check if tonight's a race. But I can't be seen with you. If the FBI sees me with you, this all goes to shit" Brian pulls out his mobile and starts typing.  
"Do you usually race every time?" asks Dom, ignoring for the moment that he is actually mad at Brian, he can be professional like that.  
"Not anymore, I used to, but I don't have to prove myself anymore. I can stay away without anyone asking question. I'll tell Tej that Dom wants to try his luck and that Ivy need to chat about her little drug problem."  
"I don't think I can pull of a heroin addict, will coke do?"  
"Ask for enough to get you through a few weeks. Tell him you don't how long will be on the road for and that you need the stuff from someone you can trust."  
"I can do that." Ivy nods.  
Brian's phone, which he put on the table, starts vibrating. He quickly checks the screens and grins "We're in luck today. There wasn't a race planned today, but he just changed his mind. Suki, his girlfriend, gets bratty when she's bored and apparently a race gives her something to focus on."  
"That Tej guy is apparently a lousy boyfriend and even lousier in the bedroom." says Mia "Bad for Suki, good for us."  
Brian laughs "I don't wanna say nothing bad about my boy, but Suki is in a mood a lot. She's a good girl though, a very good driver and mechanic."  
"Have fun at the race, there's a paper I have to get back to. It's due in a week, can you maybe look over it once I'm finished Ivy?" pleads Mia.  
"We're going to do a lot of waiting in the next few says, so sure. It's just a paper right?"  
Mia fidgets, "There may is a teeny tiny bit of programming involved, but you know, just look it over, tell me what you think."  
"HTML?"  
"Shiny."  
"I don't like Shiny." Ivy purses her lips and says then "Deploy a backup version. I don't wanna mess something up."  
Mia grins "Great thank you. See you soon guys." Mia's face was goes black.  
„Wow, she is badass. " says Brian.  
Dom gnarls at him "My sister always was a badass. You would know, if you didn't have left."  
"As if you would have let me stay Dom, don't turn this on me."  
"I would have, if you haven't lied in the first place."  
"Then the cops would have sent someone else in, someone who wouldn't have let you go. You would still be in prison. That's what you want?"  
Ivy quickly intervenes, seeing that things are about to blow up "I think we're done here Boys. I'll walk you to your car Brian and you can tell me about the details of that race, all right?"  
Brian nods and gathers his things. At the door he waits for a moment and looks to Dom "Good luck tonight; stay safe."  
"That went well." Ivy shows a small smile when she leans at Brian's car after he saved the when and where of the race in her mobile phone.  
"Yeah, very well. Super well." The sarcasm dripped almost visibly from Brian.  
"He is trying Brian; give him time to understand that you're not the enemy."  
"Maybe he never will."  
She feels pity well up in her and clasps Brains hand "You wouldn't risk everything to help him, again, if you would really think that."  
Brian drops his head and nods, "You're right."  
"I usually am, remember that." She squeezes his hand one more time and then lets him go.

Back in the motel room Dom just exits the bathroom, his skin still damp and with a similar cheerless facial expression Brian sported just minutes ago.  
Ivy cant't help but think that both guys act a bit pathetic. But she also knows that she has no right to judge, after all God has blessed her very much in the romantic area. When Ivy met Silvie she just knew that this is it. They met, they looked in each other's eyes and their fate was set. They were meant to be together and to do that they had to run away together. And they did.  
"What? Are you mad at me because I angered your kitten?"  
"No Dom. I don't care how you two treat eachother, as long as you can pull yourself together if you need to. And both of you apparently can. So by all means, fight like the little girls you are."  
Dom gasps very theatrically "Are you calling me a girl?"  
"Yes, I think I did." Says Ivy in all earnest and shrieks loudly when Dom catches her and lifts her up his head.  
"Are you still calling me a girl?"  
Ivy laughs so much her belly hurts "Yes. I'm small, and thin. Everyone could hold me up, Even a girl."  
"But a girl couldn't throw you up and then catch you again, could she?"  
"Don't you dare Dom!"  
But Dom doesn't listen, like he never does. And of course he caught her, like he always does.


End file.
